


In between New Beginnings and Goodbyes

by ccshbh



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Betty Cooper - Freeform, Coda, F/M, and that is how they are going to be in my head for the rest of forever, jughead jones - Freeform, lots of love, this is how I want to see them, unsurprisinly this is very fluffy and sappy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-07
Updated: 2019-11-07
Packaged: 2021-01-25 01:54:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,410
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21348325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ccshbh/pseuds/ccshbh
Summary: It's been over a decade since they met and it is time to say goodbye to London and start a new part of their life.A coda to In between York Way and Emirates Stadium.
Relationships: Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones
Comments: 5
Kudos: 58





	In between New Beginnings and Goodbyes

The door barely closes behind him, when Jughead hears the titter tatter of little feet coming down the stairs.

“Daddy!” a dark-haired boy with bright green eyes yells and comes bounding towards him with such a force, that Jughead barely catches him. Judging by his son’s enthusiastic greeting, one would think he’d been gone for days, when really, he only left the house for a commercial shoot and an interview this morning.

“Hi buddy. Shouldn’t you be in bed by now?”

Ollie sighs dramatically. “Yes, but grandpa can’t read my bedtime stories right. He doesn’t do the voices like you!”

There is a laugh behind them and Jughead turns around to see FP descending the stairs.

“I’m sorry little guy. I did my best"

"I'm not a little guy anymore, grandpa! I’m starting school in autumn and I'm turning six tomorrow.” Ollie complains, and FP lifts his hands in mock defense.

“Pardon me, I meant big guy, of course.”

Jughead laughs, sets his son down and crouches, so they’ll be at eye-level.

“Tell you what buddy, you go back upstairs and choose a story, while I say hi to mommy and then I’ll read to you, alright?”

Ollie nods enthusiastically and turns around to bound back up the stairs. When Jugheads straightens up again, FP is staring at him.

“What?” Jughead asks wearily.

“You are really good at this, you know? Being a dad. Although you…” FP starts but Jughead interrupts him.

“Don’t you dare say it, dad. That was a life time ago and you more than made up for that, okay? You need to stop beating yourself up.”

FP nods slowly, then says: “Okay.”

Jughead smiles. “Good. Do you know where Betty is?”

“Last time I’ve seen her she was whipping up cupcake batter in the kitchen.”

…

Betty is in fact darting around the kitchen, so caught up in getting the recipe for the cupcakes right, that she doesn’t even notice him at first.

Jughead leans in the door frame for a few minutes and just watches her. He is still not sure how he got her, how this fierce wonder of a women is his wife and the mother of his son.

“You work yourself too hard.” he says, and she flinches a little, turning around on the spot.

She exhales slowly, rolling her eyes at him. “Juggie, you scared me.”

He grins and crosses over to her, leaning down for a kiss greeting and pulls her into a hug after. “It’s been a lot lately.”

She lifts her head and crooks an eyebrow at him. “Well, its Ollie’s birthday tomorrow and we have the move to Shoreham the next day, of course it is a lot. But that is just what adult life is like. Everyone does it.”

“Not everyone is seven months pregnant.” Jughead responds and pulls back to gently stroke over her protruding belly. “How is our little girl?”

“Right now, she is sleeping.” Betty smiles. “Thank god, she was practicing her football skills during the rest of the day. Taking after her dad.”

Jughead laughs: “You said the same thing about Ollie. And he couldn’t care any less about football. Which actually I’m pretty thankful for.”

“Okay, point taken.” Betty answers and buries her face into his chest. “How was the interview?”

Her voice is muffled, but he knows that there is worry in it. It was not his easiest interview after all.

“It was fine. Tom was great about it. It got a little emotional towards the end, but oh well.”

Betty lifts her head again, still looking at him a little worried.

“You’ll miss it, won’t you?” she asks. “Playing, I mean.”

Jughead shrugs. “I guess. But its time. And there is so many things I’m looking forward to.”

He gently strokes her belly again. “Spending some more quality time with you. Taking care of this little one. Ollie starting school and me having the actual chance to be there. Picking up writing again. Swapping the city for Shoreham. Seriously, I can’t wait for it.”

…

Ollie’s birthday passes in a whirlwind of cupcakes, presents and ridiculous party hats. Jughead spends most of it between trying to reign in the hoard of excited 5-years-olds, keeping an eye out for Betty and not being able to believe that his little boy is really turning 6 today.

By the end of it, he is exhausted and can only imagine how Betty must be feeling. Thankfully, after they cleaned everything up, FP takes an already sleeping Ollie to bed and all they have to do is collapse onto their bed. Betty supports herself on her hands, rolls her head in a semi-circle and lets out a groan.

“I feel like every muscle in my in my body is tense.” she mumbles. “Including the one’s I didn’t know I have. Also, I know Ollie and Charlie are great friends, but if I have to endure one more lecture from Charlie’s mom about organic baby food, I might jump out of a window.”

Jughead chuckles and sits up again, reaching for her neck, gently massaging the knots there. Betty lets out a quiet hum and leans back into him.

“I wonder how we got Ollie this far without obsessively controlling his vitamin intake every day.” he muses.

His wife giggles and rests the back of her head on his shoulder. He wraps his arms around her and for a while there is a comfortable silence until Betty says:

“Hey, do you… maybe want to go for a walk? I mean after all its our last night in Notting Hill and I… I don’t know, I feel like it deserves an earnest goodbye.”

Jughead hums in agreement: “If you feel up to it.”

Betty rolls her eyes at him: “Jughead, I’m pregnant, not sick. If anything, a little stroll will do me good.”

…

The air is warm when they bid FP goodbye and step out of their door. Jughead relinquishes in the feeling of having Betty tugged under his arm and walking around the surprisingly quiet streets. They make their way through Kensington Park, stopping by the bench they spent many summer evenings on while throwing sticks for Hotdog and then pass the fenced football field they’d visited on their first date.

Betty stops and turns toward the fence, leaning into his side a little more.

“I don’t know if I ever told you, but despite all the chaos that ensued after that night, I still feel kind of giddy whenever I see this.”

Jughead breaths a kiss to her crown. “We have so many memories here. It will be weird not to live in this neighborhood anymore.”

“Yeah.” Betty mumbles and says nothing for a few beats. Then Jughead can feel something damp on his shoulder.

“Oh baby.” he mumbles. “C’mere.”

He pulls her towards his chest as far as he can with her pregnancy belly between them.

“I’m sorry.” Betty sniffles. “I’m just a little emotional. I swear, I don’t even know why I’m crying. I'm looking forward to moving down to Shoreham and starting a new phase of our life but I’m just… this is home Juggie and I will never not be thankful to this neighborhood for all the good things that happened here. My first real job, that little apartment, the fact that it gave me the chance to be independent from my mom, the fact that we got to start a family here and… you.”

She says the last word with so much tenderness, that a warm feeling floods Jughead's chest. He gently cups her face and strokes his thumbs over her cheeks.

“I love you.” he mumbles and the smile that appears on her face is so bright, that it makes his heart stutter for a moment.

“I love you too.”

…

Their last stop is, of course, their corner. Jughead didn’t even notice that his feet were carrying him there, but suddenly they are standing in the same spot they met at. He figures that its only fitting, that he is saying goodbye to this neighborhood in the same spot that brought so much happiness into his life.

Betty looks up at the sign and chuckles to herself. “Can you believe that it’s been…”

“13 years?” Jughead asks. “No, not really.”

He pauses for a moment, then adds: “That just made me feel very old.”

Betty laughs again and slings her arms around his neck: “Oh Juggie. We barely even started.”


End file.
